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Luverne students, staff and parents attend first-ever summer leadership retreat

Lead Summary
By
Lori Sorenson

Forty-one Luverne High School incoming juniors and seniors attended a first-ever LHS Summer Leadership Retreat at the Lakota Retreat Center at Lake Shetek July 15-16.
The group included student council members and students planning to be peer helpers during the upcoming school year, along with school administrators and parent volunteers.
Student Council adviser and teacher Jason Berghorst took the lead on the initiative to engage a broader cross-section of students in leadership roles.
“We have enough people involved with student council,” he said.
“But if 30 more people other than student council members have buy-in for the coming school year, it really helps build a positive momentum for all the things we have going at the start of the year.”
He mentioned planning for homecoming and a welcome-back-to-school project that students are working on. “One girl offered feedback that she felt that the retreat helped them bond as a class,” Berghorst said.
School guidance counselor Amy Cook said a highlight of the retreat was an exercise that helped students identify their personal leadership styles and learn how those traits affect how they work with others.
“It was kind of fun to watch these kids look at results and say, ‘Yeah, that’s me.’ It was a great experience for the kids,” said Cook, who co-advises Peer Helpers with school social worker Stacy Schepel.
“It was fun for the kids with diverse leadership styles to see how we pull together these strengths toward a common goal.”
Cook, Berghorst and Schepel led the conference along with High School Principal Ryan Johnson and activities director Todd Oye.
Two parent chaperones played a unique role of preparing food for the group, such as breakfast burritos and grilled meals, with supplies they brought along to the lodge.
In addition to learning about leadership skills, students heard updates on the new school year from Johnson and discussed schoolwide goals for the year ahead.
Juniors and seniors also met separately for class-specific business, such as selecting a senior class motto and starting fall projects.
In addition to training and organizational work, the students also enjoyed team-building games and outdoor recreation at the lake, and the group posed for a lakeside photograph at Key Largo restaurant after a group dinner.

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